The cream of British Aerobatics pilots compete for the Duxford Trophy
Imperial War Museum Duxford plays host to the very best British aerobatics pilots on
Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 June as they compete for the Duxford Trophy.
The Duxford Trophy forms part of the build-up to the European Aerobatic Championships,
which take place this year in the Czech Republic, and the World Advanced Aerobatic
Championships, which take place in Poland.
The Duxford Trophy enables British pilots to hone their skills in advance of the European and
World Championships. Pilots taking part in this competition are flying at the very highest
competing levels, Advanced and Unlimited.
Visitors can see some spectacular aerobatic flying, as each pilot must fly four routines during
the competition, including a ‘freestyle’ designed by the pilot to showcase flying at its most
spectacular and entertaining.
The technical sequences are created from the most complex aerial figures, presenting the
pilots with a physical and mental challenge as they endeavour to keep the aircraft in a onekilometre
cube aerobatic box while working in three dimensions, both upright and inverted, at
over 200 miles per hour.
Flying will take place between 11.00am and 6.00pm on both days, with accompanying
commentary to enhance visitors’ enjoyment of the flying programme.
The flying programme concludes on Sunday with the prize-giving ceremony, where the most
accomplished pilot will be awarded the Duxford Trophy.
The Duxford Trophy is organised by The British Aerobatics Association, a voluntary
organisation founded in 1974 to represent the interests of all those concerned with aerobatic
flying. Competition aerobatics is an established sport in many parts of the world, with Russia,
France, USA, Spain and the UK being at the forefront of the world standings.
The discipline dates back to the 1930s, but the evolution of modern aeroplanes would make
the highly complex, physically-challenging aerobatics central to present-day contests
unrecognisable to the pioneers who originally conceived the sport.
Aerobatic training develops a pilot’s flying skills to the ultimate. It demands a high level of
dedication and investment, but enables a pilot to develop a real mastery of the art of flying.
Few sports can be as physically and mentally demanding as competition aerobatics. Sequences
must be flown with split-second timing. A wrong turn, a miscalculation of wind strength or
the slightest disorientation could put the pilot out of the running.
Nick Buckenham, British Aerobatic Head of Contests, said, “Aerobatics is not just about
making shapes in the sky. It is about intellectual strength to make split-second decisions in a
stressful environment, it is about the physical demands of high G manoeuvring, it is about
meticulous planning and execution of a sequence of figures that the pilot may have only seen
for the first time a couple of hours before and then the ability to string together those figures
in the correct order in a small cube of air without making mistakes.”
Come and experience the adrenalin and excitement of competition aerobatics at Imperial
War Museum Duxford and see the winning pilot claim the Duxford Trophy at Europe’s
leading aviation museum.
All flying is subject to weather and serviceability.
